Internal Review of Prisoner's Escape from Sheriffs Complete

The internal review into the escape of Marc Joseph Pellerin from Nova Scotia Sheriff's custody in early December is now complete.

The review outlines the details of Mr. Pellerin's escape, and makes recommendations on what could have been done to prevent this and future incidents. It found that sheriffs did not follow proper policy and procedures and there was an equipment failure.

"Mistakes were made, some important procedures were not followed," said Attorney General and Justice Minister Diana Whalen. "I am very disappointed, and I've ensured that immediate action will be taken."

On Dec. 5, 2015, Mr. Pellerin was being transported by Nova Scotia Sheriffs from New Brunswick to Nova Scotia for a court appearance on Dec. 8. He escaped custody while being moved from one sheriff's vehicle to another in Truro. He was recaptured three days later by the RCMP in Stewiacke.

The review found Mr. Pellerin was properly restrained in hand cuffs and leg irons when he was placed into the sheriff's vehicle for transport. However, he was successful in freeing himself from his hand restraints due to a unique ability to contort his hand, and was then able to free himself from the leg irons. The equipment has been sent to the manufacturer for review to determine if there was a malfunction.

The review also indicated that a number of important policies and procedures were not followed, such as completing a risk assessment, performing proper checks, making sure radios and cameras were accessible and working properly, and ensuring restraints were in place before opening the secure door to let the offender exit the vehicle.

"This was a combination of human error and equipment failure that we take seriously," said Fred Hildebrand, director of Sheriff Services. "It is clear that we need to do a better job of making sure our staff are following our policies and procedures, and we are committed to doing the training, equipment review, and policy updates needed."

As a result of the report, the risk assessment policy has been updated. Additional training for sheriffs will be required and key policies relating to radios and closed circuit television use will be updated.

To read the report, visit http://novascotia.ca/just/updates.asp.

For Broadcast Use:

The internal review into the escape of Marc Joseph Pellerin

from Nova Scotia Sheriff's custody in early December is now

complete.

The report outlines the details of Mr. Pellerin's escape,

and makes recommendations on what could have been done to

prevent it and future incidents. It was determined that sheriffs

did not follow proper policy and procedures.

Justice Minister Diana Whalen says it is concerning.

Mistakes were made, policies were not followed and equipment

appears to have failed.

Key findings in the report revealed that policies were not

followed such as a risk assessment and proper checks. Immediate

steps have been taken such as a review of policies, additional

training and equipment.